Jets' Santonio Holmes says problems of last season will stay 'down in Miami'

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerSantonio Holmes has no regrets and no interest in talking about 2011 season.

Santonio Holmes, and the rest of the Jets who arrived for the start of the offseason program today, are looking forward to a fresh start in 2012. And in Holmes' case, that meant not rehashing the tumultuous end to last season.

"It happened down in Miami, and that’s where it’s going to stay, down in Miami," Holmes said today on a conference call with reporters.

Holmes referred to the 2011 season finale in Miami, when the Jets' internal locker-room discord played out on the football field. Holmes was benched by former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer after picking a fight with teammates in the huddle, and afterward some teammates and coaches said he quit. The Jets lost to the Dolphins and missed the playoffs.

"That happened in the 2011-12 season," Holmes said. "That happened in the past. ... We’re worried about the 2012 New York Jets football season, and if you’re not concerned with that, we don’t have anything else to talk about."

Holmes, however, has not addressed reporters since after the game at Miami, so many questions still remained, particularly about his relationship with starting quarterback Mark Sanchez. Holmes said "that was too long ago," and added that he gave his statement after the Dolphins game in January.

When asked if he has any regrets about the way last season ended, Holmes said simply, "Why should I?" He also said he never wondered if he would be back with the team in 2012.

Holmes was of the captains named by coach Rex Ryan in 2011. Ryan has since said there will be no captains this year, so as not to put any players on a pedestal above others, but Holmes said he will still think of himself as a captain and will be a vocal leader. Holmes later posted a picture on his Twitter account, showing him wearing a white shirt that reads "Captain" to work today.

Holmes said he did not reach out to any teammates during the offseason, despite a well-documented rift with Sanchez and friction with some of the offensive linemen, because he had no reason to do so. But he and Sanchez have taken steps to rebuild their chemistry, starting with Sanchez reaching out to Holmes in February and asking to spend time together in Holmes' native Florida.

"I think it’s moreso the leadership part of Mark," Holmes said. "He’s portraying those leadership qualities of being a guy that’s going to be here for a while. By reaching out to me, and wanting to spend some time with me, and just chit chat and put everything behind us, I think it was a great thing for he and I to establish. We’re looking forward to bigger and better things this year. We’re both competitive football players, and we look to make the best out of every situation, and we’re going to do exactly that this year."

Asked how his relationship with Sanchez has evolved since the end of last season, Holmes was brief: "He’s still here as our starting quarterback, and I’m still here as our starting wide receiver, so I think our relationship has to evolve around that."

Last week, Holmes invited Sanchez and a few teammates down to ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, where he trains in the offseason. Holmes originally said he and Sanchez reached out to invite their teammates, but when asked if new acquisition Tim Tebow was invited, he said that Sanchez extended most of the invites.

"It was a part of building our chemistry," Holmes said of the workouts. "We’ve got a new coaching staff this season, and we wanted to get a head start on some things that we can work on, some things that we know we need to connect on."

Holmes said he had a good conversation with new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, who told Holmes that he expects him to lead and be dependable for the offense. He said he had nothing to do with the departure of Schottenheimer but is excited for everyone starting fresh in a new system, with "clear minds" and "our own expectations."

"Last season was a blur for all of us, a lot of things didn’t go the way we had planned," Holmes said. "We had a system that was in place for a few years, and we relied on everything that was going to work with that plan that we’ve had. And things fell apart for our team. But this year, we're looking forward to picking back up, getting ourselves back into the playoffs and believing in the Rex Ryan system."